Women Worry, Men Adopt: How Gendered Perceptions Shape the Use of Generative AI

Kari Jaaskelainen

08 Jan 2026 — 1 min read

Generative AI is spreading fast—but not equally. UK survey data (2023–2024) shows women use GenAI far less than men, largely because they view its societal risks differently.

A composite “risk concern” index (mental health, privacy, climate, jobs) explains 9–18% of who adopts GenAI.
For women, this index is among the strongest predictors across all ages—outweighing digital skills and education for young women.
Among young, digitally fluent people with high societal concerns, the gender gap in personal use exceeds 45 percentage points.
Shifting beliefs matters: increasing optimism about AI’s social impact raises young women’s GenAI use from 13% to 33%, narrowing the divide.

Bottom line: Unequal adoption isn’t mainly about access or ability—it’s about how AI’s social and ethical consequences are perceived.

Why it matters: If half the population hangs back, we risk widening gaps in productivity, skills, and income in an AI-enabled economy.

Implication for leaders: Pair product rollouts with credible safeguards and communication on mental health, privacy, climate, and jobs—because trusted AI is adopted AI.

Source: arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.03880

Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.03880v1

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AI GenAI GenderGap TechAdoption Ethics Privacy MentalHealth Climate Jobs UK Research

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